Pete du Pont weighs on on Earth Day 2002:

OpinionJournal - Outside the Box: PAT Answers

One thing we should not celebrate this Earth Day might be called Ehrlichthink, the doomsday, Armageddon, one-minute-to-midnight mentality that has regularly predicted the end of civilization as we know it, never mind that the facts point in exactly the opposite direction. Paul Ehrlich was the leader of eco-pessimism, but many others encouraged disinformation concerning our environmental challenges.

Recall the famous 1989 explanation of environmental strategy by global-warming crusader Stephen Schneider: to save the world: "We need . . . to capture the public's imagination. That of course, entails getting loads of media coverage. So we have to offer up scary scenarios, make simplified, dramatic statements and make little mention of any doubts we have." And "each of us has to decide what the right balance is between being effective and being honest."

Which explains recent revelations about false reports being made by forest "experts" about spotted owl habitats that never existed.